The Void Between, Kovac (1st POV)

  As soon as I entered that hole, the strange effect that had taken hold over my mind disappeared. In its place, unbearable pain started to course through my body. Of all the injuries I've suffered along my life as a soldier, none compared to this feeling. It was as if the environment itself was trying to squeeze me, cut me and freeze me, all at once. If weren't for my Viltrumite fisiology and all the battles that had tempered my body, I would've died the second I entered this place.

  With a groan, I gritted my teeth and did my best to endure the pain. After a few minutes reorganizing my thoughts, I slowly opened my eyes. At first, my vision was blurry, the pure pression around me interfering with it. But within a few seconds, blinking and trying to focus my eyesight, I finally was able to watch my surroundings. It was the worst decision I could've made at that moment. I saw nothing, pure darkness. No, not darkness. Not the mere absence of light. What I saw, or didn't saw, was the absence... of everything.

  If someone ever asked me what a blind man saw, it would have to be this. I wasn't looking at anything, not like when you close your eyes and see black. It was as if I tried to see with my elbow, it just wasn't possible. A headache suddenly hit me, my brain couldn't handle this confuse and meaningless sight. Struggling, I rose my arm, intending to massage my temples... until I noticed. I could see myself. This sudden realization made me even more confused. I looked at my arm in awe, I saw it perfectly, as if I had the best lighting possible. All that while seeing nothing around it.

  Looking down at myself, I felt like a paper cutout, completely out of sync with my surroundings, like a 2D figure in a 3D world. It didn't make the slightest sense, seeing myself, but nothing around me. I realized that thinking about it wasn't gonna make a difference, so I stopped. I had to analyze the situation I was in right now. Focusing my eyes on my right hand, the headache paused. That made it easier to think, although the crushing force around my body still caused great pain. My memories seemed a little fuzzy, as if something had interfered with it.

  I was on planet X-a24, flying in the skies at high speed, just enjoying the moment. But, all of a sudden, I heard an eerie noise. From that moment on, it was a blur, a mixed of flashes of images and sounds. Something hypnotized me. I have had experience with mind controlling and mesmerizing before, but nothing at this scale. After hearing that sound... I couldn't resist it, I had to find its source, as if my life depended on it. And apparently, so I did, ending up in this strange void. Coming out of my thoughts, I tried to figure out what I should do next, but, for now, I'm stuck here.

  My internal clock tried to convince me that a few hours had passed, but with nothing to see or compare it to, it certainly didn't feel like it. In these last hours I tried to fly around, wondering if something would happen. But no, nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, the only thing that even proved that I was really flying somewhere was the feeling of tiredness that I felt. Despite this, everything was the same, an infinite nothingness around me. At some point in those hours I realized that, if I didn't find a way to get out of there, I would die of hunger. In addition to that, my body was starting to loose the battle against the void, I was freezing. Cuts appearing all over me, and my ribs felt like they were being crushed. This certainly left me desperate, the pain I felt since I arrived here motivating me to leave. With urgency, I started flying at my maximum speed forward, hoping to find some way out of here.

  And then I flew, like I had never flown before, and with each passing minute, the strength I had had all my life started to leave my body. I felt weak, wounded, and one step away from starvation, this hellish place managing to subdue even my invulnerable body. When I finally achieved my desired freedom, fate decided otherwise. Perhaps this was a punishment for all the crimes I had committed, all the lives I had taken. If there really was a god behind all this, he would surely want to punish me... But I couldn't give up yet, it wasn't in my blood, a proud Viltrumite never yields. We either die a warrior's death, or survive and grow stronger from the battle. And I certainly wasn't planning on dying. I pushed through the pain, the fatigue, and kept going. Days passed and I could barely keep my eyes open, my body felt numb, I wasn't even sure if I was still flying.

  At some point, I think I started hallucinating. Seeing Viltrum, the blue skies that never ceased to amaze me, one of the few things I liked about home. The gigantic skyscrapers in the capital that seemed to reach into space. By now, I'm pretty sure I've stopped flying, I feel like I'm just floating around, weightless, it was kind of peaceful actually. I couldn't feel the pain anymore, my nerves had probably given up trying to signal it to my brain, the pressure around me made it impossible to feel anything. Even my blood was probably having trouble running through my veins. It seems that the intelligent atoms that made up my Viltrumite physiology had failed to adapt to this place.

  I think my time has finally come, although it was rather short by Viltrumites terms, I was lucky compared to the ones that died in training, failing to be useful to the Empire. Even so, I'm not ready yet, I don't wanna go. The tears couldn't even come out of my eyes, as I was completely dehydrated. I thought I was ready for death, but not like this, perishing in a void, completely alone. It wasn't a death by battle, a honorable death, I couldn't accept it. Slowly, against my will, my eyes began to close completely, the life draining from my body. I was gonna die.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  As death slowly claimed me, I started to hear something. Initially, the sound was low, I couldn't make it out completely. I even thought my dying mind was playing tricks on me. But then, I recognized it. It was that haunting sound that compelled me to this place, it was back. A sudden current of energy ran through me, a last struggle of a dying warrior, my eyes instantly opened. Not even my blurred vision and clouded mind could stop me from seeing the enormous white glow I was slowly drifting to. That was it, it had to be. My way out. My heart began to pound violently in my chest as I clenched my fists and, using what little energy I had left, I flew as fast as I could towards the distant glow.

  As I flew, trying my best to escape this hellhole, I could feel my body starting to shut down. The pain had returned, I was clearly pushing myself too far. I couldn't care less. All I could see was that white glow, it was hope. It could have been seconds or hours, I couldn't tell, but I finally reached it. Now, so close to it, I realized it wasn't just a light. It looked like a portal, different from the one before, as I could see where it led. A white circumference of light surrounded a beautiful blue sky full of white cotton clouds, it reminded me of home. Without thinking much further, I pushed my dying body through it.

  There wasn't any fancy light, glorious sound, or anything of the kind when I passed through the portal. One moment I was at the Void and the next, I simply wasn't. Relief filled by body. I inhaled the pure air and looked around for a moment, seeing a medieval like fortress in the distance. Beneath me, a beautiful green forest surrounded by endless plains of grass. After a few seconds analyzing my surroundings, the adrenaline leisurely living my body, I passed out.

  Central Lands, ??? (3rd POV)

  In a forest located a few kilometers from the Royal Capital, at the Central Lands, a small individual, covered by a beige cloak, was collecting some herbs from the ground. She was a mage who lived at that forest in solitude for almost a thousand years. Soon, she rose from the ground, a few plants on her hands, wich she quickly saved on her bag. As she began making her way back to her cabin, she suddenly stopped. The mage had felt an interference in the environment's mana, directly above of her, as if something was about to happen. She quickly tilted her head towards the sky, looking up in curiosity. The moment she looked up, a strange portal appeared a few kilometers high on the sky, it was pure black and had a strange aura that seemed to attract her to it.

  Before she could do anything, a high speed object flew out of the portal, wich quickly closed behind it. As the mage took a better look at the flying object, she realized it was actually a man. Suddenly, she summoned her staff, ready for battle. The only ones capable of flying magic at this era were demons, besides, he was hiding his mana output perfectly. Staring at the flying man with cold eyes, she waited. However, strangely, nothing happened, the man simply looked around for a few seconds in silence. But then, abruptly, he fainted and began to fall from the skies at high speed. She looked in shock to the falling body, not certain of what she should do. Within a few seconds of him falling, she realized he was would fall just a few meters away from her, so, the mage decided to wait. Her staff still on her hands.

  With a loud noise, the man's body hit the ground with great force, leaving a gigantic crater at the impact site. Cautiously, she approached the crater and upon reaching it, slid down towards his body. He was relatively tall, about 180 cm, and had a muscular build. With a plain look on her face she noticed he was completely naked and, quickly, covered him with her cloak. It was obvious that he wasn't a threat, at least by now, so she kept he staff. His body was completely full of wounds, but strangely, none seemed to come from the impact. With a sight she leaned closer to him and put her hands on his chest. He was freezing cold, but, at that moment that was her latest concern. She was completely shocked with what she discovered.

  As soon as she touched him, she casted an analysis spell. It worked by injecting the user's mana into the target and reading its mana flow. That was what shocked her. She got no response at all. Nothing. As if he had no mana. That simply wasn't possible, every living thing in this world had mana. It was the lifeblood of existence itself. She tried again and again, but still, nothing happened. With a concentrated gaze, she tried to sense his mana, but even touching him didn't help. Nothing, as far as her mana sense was concerned, he didn't exist. There was nothing in front of her. She had been alive for a thousand years, having learned from the Great Mage Flamme 800 years ago, studying in solitude since her master's death. And yet, she had never seen anything like it, it was impossible.

  After a few minutes staring at the man, she slowly got up and, with a thought, conjured her staff back. Promptly, she casted an telekinesis spell, lifting the manaless man from the ground. Just like that, with a floating man, covered by a beige cloak, following behind her, she made her way back her house. From time to time, she looked back to see if he was alright. Even after a few minutes of her walking, he didn't looked like waking up anytime soon. Although still unconscious, she observed, with extreme curiosity, as the wounds on his body began slowly healing. The cuts were closing, the bruises disappearing and his pale skin gaining a little color to it. Taking her eyes off him, she noticed they had arrived.

  A small, but cozy cabin made out of wood could be seen in the middle of a glade, surrounded by the forest. On its side, a little garden, filled with vegetables e herbs was spotted. Approaching her house, she quickly opened the wooden door. Multiple worn-out tomes were laying around the cabin's insides, the person who lived there clearly didn't cared about organizing. Dodging some books trown on the floor, she made her way towards her bed. With a wave of her staff, she placed the floating man on the bed. Giving him a last glance, filled with curiosity, the mage uninvoked her staff, and seated on a study table. Deciding to wait for his awakening, she began reading a few tomes she hadn't studied yet.